AmateurRadio.com

Ham radio continues to grow in popularity and it seems to be gathering even more interest from curious muggles. It’s no longer an oddity to see dozens of news stories about our hobby splashed from various news reporting services.

Just last night, my wife and I were driving to dinner, and the car radio was tuned to a local channel that has started playing Christmas music around the clock. At some point during a break in the music there was a short public service announcement about amateur radio. I suppose it was sponsored by the local radio club though I can’t be certain — it was an ARRL promotion.

My point is that there is an increasing possibility that one of these days, someone from the local newspaper or TV news station might approach YOU to ask a few questions about your hobby. And while none of us are going to be the perfect ambassador/evangelist/spokesperson for the entire hobby, if that fate should befall you, I hope you’re able to elicit a better headline than what appeared recently in the Des Moines Register:

Men support fading ham radio habit

Overall, the article is interesting and, if you can get past that headline and the initial wave of nausea, it’s not really all that bad. I’m assuming the interviewer who crafted these words was influenced by things shared by those being interviewed:

“But in the age of the smartphone, the amateur radio network is a dwindling hobby whose aging practitioners are the keepers of a fading but potentially still vital means of communication.”

No matter whose responsible for spinning that notion, it’s just flat out wrong. Poppycock. Hokum. There’s nothing “dwindling” about the hobby. The number of licensed hams in the US is at its highest level in history and it continues to enjoy strong growth.

On the air activity has changed significantly from the 1950’s but there are no fewer signals in the spectrum now than at some mythical touchpoint in the past. Forty years ago, its likely this story would never have even appeared in a newspaper as amateur radio was much too small a niche to waste newsprint on.

I’m not kidding, you really do need to prepare for how you’ll respond to a question about your hobby, and not just from someone working in popular media.

Sooner or later, your family, friends, and co-workers are bound to discover that you’re a radio ham. And when they do, someone is invariably going to ask the toughest question. One that’s not on any radio test exam but should be:

“So what do you talk about on the radio?”

This one can be a real stumper and you need to think long and hard about what you will say when it comes up, because it will eventually come up. How you answer will, at a minimum, become the basis for someone’s opinion of amateur radio. And at the very best, your answer might spark an interest that results in yet another new call sign for all of us to work.

What will you say?

This article first appeared in CALLING CQ a weekly letter for amateur radio enthusiasts.

Tagged: media

Jeff Davis, KE9V, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Indiana, USA.

Series Seven Episode Twenty-Five of the ICQ Amateur / Ham Radio Podcast has been released. In this episode, Martin M1MRB / W9ICQ is joined by Leslie Buttersfield (G0CIB) and Chris Howard (M0TCH) to discuss the latest Amateur / Ham Radio news. Colin M6BOY rounds up the news in brief, and this episodes feature Martin Butler M1MRB / W9ICQ talks to Dr Elizabeth Bruton about the History of World War One Radio.

• Youngsters On The Air
• Teenager wins prize with Morse code
• Popular Electronics Magazines Archive
• New IARU-R1 HF Handbook
• Amateur Radio Hams Lead Indonesia
• Ofcom Amateur Radio Licence Statement
• New Digital Mode App EXChat
• Licensing of Television White Space Devices - Now Open
• Indian Students Develop New Satellites
• Ofcom 420-470 MHz Consultation

Colin Butler, M6BOY, is the host of the ICQ Podcast, a weekly radio show about Amateur Radio. Contact him at [email protected].

Series Seven Episode Twenty-Five of the ICQ Amateur / Ham Radio Podcast has been released. In this episode, Martin M1MRB / W9ICQ is joined by Leslie Buttersfield (G0CIB) and Chris Howard (M0TCH) to discuss the latest Amateur / Ham Radio news. Colin M6BOY rounds up the news in brief, and this episodes feature Martin Butler M1MRB / W9ICQ talks to Dr Elizabeth Bruton about the History of World War One Radio.

• Youngsters On The Air
• Teenager wins prize with Morse code
• Popular Electronics Magazines Archive
• New IARU-R1 HF Handbook
• Amateur Radio Hams Lead Indonesia
• Ofcom Amateur Radio Licence Statement
• New Digital Mode App EXChat
• Licensing of Television White Space Devices - Now Open
• Indian Students Develop New Satellites
• Ofcom 420-470 MHz Consultation

Colin Butler, M6BOY, is the host of the ICQ Podcast, a weekly radio show about Amateur Radio. Contact him at [email protected].

AmateurLogic.TV Episode 73 is now available for download.

Peter talks about Propagation, Tommy shows us Arne’s IC-7100 with Remote Rig, George presents the CheapoDuino Finale. Plus our exciting holiday present to you, The AmateurLogic Christmas Album Collection with Mike Morneau, VE3MIC.

This is an excellent way to end the year. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did making it.

1:17:26

Download
YouTube

George Thomas, W5JDX, is co-host of AmateurLogic.TV, an original amateur radio video program hosted by George Thomas (W5JDX), Tommy Martin (N5ZNO), Peter Berrett (VK3PB), and Emile Diodene (KE5QKR). Contact him at [email protected].

I am not a great fan of HF contests.  As a QRPer, I find CW contests all but impossible as people tend to send and receive at incredible speeds usually with PCs. SSB is usually better and often the “other end” has worked you before realising you are running QRP.  Later stages of contests are usually easier as the big guns are sweeping for remaining points and looking to work weaker stations.

I have been unable to work in the ARRL 10m contest (visitors this weekend) ) and I forgot the CQWW SSB contest this year! Last year, I was in hospital. It is 2 years since I last took part in CQWW SSB, which I find a very fruitful contest. I usually stick with 10m only.

Each Tuesday evening the RSGB organises a rotating series of VHF/UHF contests (UKAC) and I try to come on for the 50, 144 and 432MHz contests where I am at home and available.  I use 5w pep and a V2000 vertical on 50MHz, a 3 el on 144MHz and 5 el on 432MHz.  On 144 and 432MHz the antenna is hand-rotated. On 50MHz it is vertical and fixed.  I can usually work 150-250km in these contests despite my 5W.

Roger Lapthorn, G3XBM, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Cambridge, England.

QST Feb 1931 Courtesy: http://www.arrl.org/

In addition to the new frequency allocations, amateurs heading into 1929 faced several other changes.
For North American hams, many of these had already been in place, but for much of the DX, this was all new.

Some of the more important changes are ones that we have come to recognize as "everyday practice" for the past several decades.

Like our friend below, and for all new amateurs worldwide, mastering CW would now be mandatory.



Courtesy: http://www.arrl.org/

" Article {6} (3) ...any person operating the apparatus...must have proved his ability to transmit passages in the Morse Code and to read...passages thus transmitted."



Licencing was also mandated.

" Article {2} (1) No radioelectric sending station shall be established or worked by a ...person...without a special licence issued by the Government..."

And hams would need to earn their tickets.



Courtesy: http://www.arrl.org/

Article 6 (4) Administrations...take such measures to verify the qualifications, from the technical point of view, of all persons operating the apparatus."





No longer would hams have the luxury of making up their own call signs, although not an issue in North America since the end of WW1.  All calls would now be assigned by the government.

"Article {14} (13) ...private experimental stations must have a call sign taken from the international series assigned to each country."



Courtesy: http://www.steveirwinstamps.co.uk

Courtesy: http://hamgallery.com

The system of Q signals, as we know them today, were to be implemented for all users, both commercial and amateur. As noted in the September, 1928 QST, the signal for "QST" had been removed.

"The prefix for a general call to all stations has been changed from "QST" to "CQ" and the former is now blank in the international list of "Q" signals. That doesn't mean that QST is going to change its name though. If some uncomplimentary meaning has been assigned the letters "QST", such as "You interfere with me -- get out," we might have to." [QST September, 1928]

And no, the list did not include "QLF".

Although chiefly aimed at the commercial ops working mobile stations, such as maritime or aeronautical traffic, many of these new operating procedures filtered-down to amateurs very quickly and are still used today:

" Article {9} (6) When a station is uncertain of the call sign of the station calling...reply...using the signal .. _ _ .. "

" Article {9} (7-1) When it is necessary to make test signals...such signals...must be composed by a series of  V's followed by the call letters of the station working. "

" Article {9} (3-1a) The station calling makes the call...not more than three times...and the word DE, followed...by its own call sign. "
 
" Article {9} (3-3) If the station called is not ready...it replaces the letter K by the signal  . _ ...  (wait)... "


Courtesy: http://www.arrl.org/

" Article {9} (3-9a) The transmission...is terminated by the signal . _ . _ . (end of transmission)... "

 " Article {9} (10a) The acknowledgement of receipt...is given by the means of the letter R."

" Article {9} (11) The end of work between two stations is indicated by each of them, by means of the signal ... _ . _ "
 
" Article {10} (1-1) Stations desiring to enter into communications...may use the signal of inquiry CQ...followed by the letter K... "

Although they had already been operating from Washington, DC, on a limited schedule, Jan 1st, 1929, marked the expansion of WWV, which began a regular schedule, cycling through 40 different precise frequencies during a two-hour period. All transmissions were in CW. This would allow for all users, worldwide, to calibrate their receiving equipment to 1929 standards.

Compiled in November 1928, the January 1929 edition of QST carried these last hopeful words before the big day arrived:

"January 1st, 1929, magic date, is upon us...the dividing line between the old and the new in amateur radio...when we look back...we are going to wonder how we ever got along in 1927 and 1928 with those crude methods which we once employed...It is the duty of every amateur to prepare himself for the new life which exists on the other side of January 1st." [QST January, 1929]

The following month's editorial described the early days of 1929 activity and was somewhat surprsing, considering all of the hard work that had gone into preparing radio amateurs for the new era.

Courtesy: http://www.arrl.org/

"We write in the early days of January. January 1st, another tremendous hurdle, has been safely crossed, and somewhat to the surprise of some of us we seem to be still alive and kicking. The air seems very much the same as it was before; in fact, too much so...in the width of our bands...every amateur knows that these widths were changed. We cannot feel that there is excusable reason for an amateur operating outside the new frequency bands -- our preparation for success...has been thorough. All of us must realize...he who gets on the wrong side of the fence is very liable to be jerked up without warning for trespass...lets play the game. [QST February, 1929]


And so, finally, the long anticipated day came and went, but it seemed the ARRL's task was far from over. Not everyone had gotten the message or, at least, the entire message. VE4GU was all prepared for 1929 with new QSL's for his Jan 22, 1929 QSO with W9DYV on 40m CW but apparently missed the 'other' announcement...his card reports using '500V' of raw AC on his 210 Hartley!

Courtesy: http://www.arrl.org/

QSL cards from 1929 and later still, show many one-tube oscillators and simple receivers yet being used...it was a hard-sell to move hams from what they were comfortable with...but...things were looking up and there would be no turning back.


Without question our cherished hobby was shaped forever by those well-considered pronouncements and the timely leadership of the ARRL during those tumultuous days, so long ago. We owe them a lot.

Steve McDonald, VE7SL, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from British Columbia, Canada. Contact him at [email protected].

Reporting on more critical information spewing forth from the interwebz, here’s some stuff you just can’t live without.

In a surprise move, Baofeng introduces yet another dualband HT, but this one might be the best yet. Maybe. See the PD0AC first impressions of the GT-3 Mark II.

Yaesu has announced a new dualband HT, the FT2DR, that has a Big Honking Display and touchscreen interface.

The crack reporting team over at Ham Hijinks keeps cranking out ham radio news: Turkey Takes Toll on Ham.

The ARRL is looking into changing some of the VHF contest rules. The first proposal includes allowing self-spotting and the use of non-amateur assistance. I say “heck yeah!”

If you ever thought it would be a good idea to use a banana as a Morse code keyer, check out this video. Meanwhile, Burger King has recognized the importance of ham radio for space communications (video).

The QRZNow web site got caught “borrowing” content from other ham radio web sites without permission or providing attribution.

Stu W0STU over at HamRadioSchool.com has been straining his brain on the topic of complex impedance. If you need some help understanding this (ahem) complex topic, take a look at his three part article on the subject: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.

If you are worried about exposure to excessive EMF (Electromagnetic Field), you’ll want to consider this device over at Amazon.com. Be sure to read the reviews to get the full entertainment value.

73, Bob K0NR

The post This Spewed Out of the Internet #30 appeared first on The KØNR Radio Site.

Bob Witte, KØNR, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Colorado, USA. Contact him at [email protected].